Over the Top:
American Posters from World War I

When America entered World War I, it was clear that engagement in the conflict would require sustained effort of a magnitude and intensity that had previously been unimagined. Ready troops, supplies, and sacrifice on the home front were necessities, and the resolve of American citizens was essential—a powerful message brought home to the public through the visual arts.

During World War I, illustrated posters inspiring public support served as a primary mechanism of mass communication. Persuasive visual symbols designed to rally Americans to the cause, they employed bold graphics, strong imagery, and concise commands to inspire a sense of nationalism and pride. Posters roused people to support their troops, fund international aid projects, and buy bonds to finance the war effort. Imbued with iconic United States symbols like the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, and the American flag, posters were installed in libraries, post offices, and schools in urban and rural communities as prominent reminders of the need for support.

Eager to contribute their talents, artists who were not enlisted in the armed forces designed posters and billboards and offered public painting demonstrations to inspire the purchase of war bonds. Chaired by celebrated illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, the Committee on Public Information’s Division of Pictorial Publicity met regularly to connect artists with projects. The dynamic imagery that resulted, created by an impressive roster of illustrators including J.C. Leyendecker, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, and Jessie Willcox Smith among others, offers compelling perspectives on the American experience during this dramatic time in our nation’s history.

The Art of Norman Rockwell:
Highlights from the Collection

The largest and most significant public collection of original works by celebrated twentieth century illustrator, Norman Rockwell, the Norman Rockwell Museum exhibits a comprehensive array of paintings, drawings, studies, photographs, and artifacts that reflect the evolution of the artist’s life and career. Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings (1943), iconic images inspired by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address; Girl at Mirror (1954), a poignant coming of age narrative; and Triple Self-Portrait (1960), his witty personal reflection, are among the Museum’s extensive holdings. In addition, rarely seen works from public and private collections are always on view.

Norman Rockwell's 323
Saturday Evening Post Covers

For nearly fifty years, millions of Americans brought Norman Rockwell’s art into their homes, enjoying the artist’s Saturday Evening Post covers while seated in their favorite chairs, surrounded by their belongings in the company of their families. This intimate connection with Rockwell’s art made his images a part of the fabric of American lives. This comprehensive exhibition of original Saturday Evening Post cover tear sheets features each of Norman Rockwell’s illustrations for the publication, created between
1916 and 1963.